Thread: "Hand" of a portable circular saw

My understanding has always been that the blade is supposed to be on the opposite side of the saw to the operator for safety.

As much as it's difficult to see what's happening, I'd rather be on the safe side.

Blade needs to be on the operator side to follow a guide rail comfortably, otherwise you're trying to cross over or hold with the wrong hand. It seems to be that most corded saws are blade on the right of the motor and cordless on the other side, no idea why though...

I never knew there were lefthander saws but have never had a cordless one either.
Regards
John

American corded circular saws have the motor usually on the right. It was to do with the motor having a worm drive to get some grunt out of the saw running on 110 Volts. Years ago there was a program on gardening. There was a bloke to demonstrate getting reject timber and other stuff to make wooden stuff for gardens etc. Raised beds, square wooden pots, that type of thing. I could not watch while he used a power saw to cut his material. I couldn't figure out, for a while, why he urcked me so much till I realised he was using his left hand to run the saw which put his right hand where it could get cut.

I can't really see it being a safety issue as to which side of the grip the blade is on. Not unless you're also considering what sort of usage that saw will be put to.

When ripping timbers/sheets down to size - either using a straight edge or eyeballing to a line - I much prefer to have the blade on the LH side. I can see the blade cut w/out obstruction by guards or the saw body and know that everything is hunkydory.

When lopping the top off an already standing fence post (or trimming a fence or...) I prefer the blade on the RH side as being right-handed I feel safer cutting from right to left AND as I'm carrying the weight of the saw in the cut (it would be nice to lay the fence flat on the ground, but... ) I want the body of the saw to the bottom so that in an inadvertent moment should I wearily let the saw drop a bit between cuts, it'll the inert body that may contact whatever's underneath it, not the snarly, whiny, bitey bit.

After all, it may be me that's underneath...

Coriolis effect.

Our saws work fine in the Northern Hemisphere.